1.1 Introduction

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From the course by Yale University

Age of Cathedrals

137 ratings

Yale University

Age of Cathedrals

137 ratings

An introduction to some of the most astonishing architectural monuments the world has ever known—Gothic cathedrals. We shall study the art, literature, intellectual life, economics, and new social arrangements that arose in the shadow of the cathedrals and that were such an important part of the revival of cities in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The goal of the course is a better appreciation of the High Middle Ages, a world that is still recognizably our own.

From the lesson

Introduction & Saint-Denis I

An introduction to the history of Paris in the centuries of chaos following the death of Charlemagne in 814 and the building of the first Gothic cathedral at Saint-Denis, just north of Paris. The old abbey church, where the kings of France were buried, was inadequate, and so a new building project was undertaken by Abbot Suger, who financed the new building through efficient land management and the commercial Fair of Lendit along a trade route between northern and southern Europe.

1.1 Introduction3:13

1.3 Notre Dame de Paris and the Wave of Cathedral Building7:18

1.4 What We'll Study5:23

Meet the Instructors

Howard Bloch
Sterling Professor of French
French

Welcome to the age of Cathedrals.

My name is Professor Howard Bloch,

Sterling Professor of French at Yale University and

a Specialist in the Literature and Art History of the Middle Ages.

We shall explore together one of the great moments of turning in the West.

And we shall discover some of the most amazing architectural structures ever built,

as well as the world around them.

But let's begin by asking,

what is a Cathedral?

The word Cathedral comes from the Latin cathedra,

meaning an easy chair,

and came to mean the church or the seat of a bishop,

or the Church of a bishop seat.

As the seat of a bishop,

the cathedral functioned as the central church of a diocese,

which derives from the Greek word for administration,

and serves as the church district under the supervision of a bishop.

The diocese or bishopric may be divided into

smaller units or parishes under the care of a priest.

As the principal church of the Bishop,

the cathedral or throne came to be known for

its architectural size and its astonishing beauty.

Cathedrals first appeared in Italy,

Spain, North Africa, and what was then known as Gaul,

and now known as France in the fourth century of

the Christian era after centuries of persecution of Christians by the Romans.

But as the persecutions ended,

Christianity was declared the official religion of

the Roman Empire by the Emperor Constantine in 312 AD.

The Great Age of Cathedrals began a little later,

however in the 12th century in France.

More precisely, in the Ile-de-France,

the area in and around Paris.

From Paris, the great stone churches spread all over Europe,

where for a remarkable period of 150 years,

some 80 Gothic cathedrals were built with

many more spread over the rest of western and central Europe.

Almost all are still standing today.

Please join me in visiting some of

the most remarkable buildings the world has ever known.

As we explore the history and culture that gave rise to medieval cathedrals and we try to

understand how and why they continue to live and had meaning for our world, our own age.

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